M. Wayne Miller is one of the most prolific and recognized talents in the field of the dark arts. Well, not necessarily black magic, but for three decades, his artwork has graced the pages and covers of countless magazines, anthologies, collections, and novels — including many of mine. Wayne's earliest work appeared in Deathrealm magazine, but it wasn't long before his list of clients began to include such noteworthy names as April Moon Books, Dark Regions Press, Journalstone Publishing, Necro Publications, Celaeno Press, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Chaosium, Crossroad Press, TOR, and many others.
AGC: It was purely serendipitous that when you first began submitting your
art to various publications in the 1990s, you lived literally around a
couple of corners from me in Greensboro, NC. Thus, I had the privilege of
seeing some of your early artistic development first-hand. To say I was
impressed is a gross understatement. Do you have any stand-out recollections
of those pioneering days, so to speak, as far as the challenges and
rewards of that formative period?
MWM: Yes indeed, Deathrealm magazine was my first paid commission, for a story by the late Tom Piccirilli, no less. At that time I was submitting to any publisher of line art. Hundreds I expect. Deathrealm was the first to respond, and we met in person as you mentioned at my home to discuss the work. I am pleased that our working relationship has become true friendship over the years.
That initial commission became a wave of work done for horror magazines and anthologies over the next several years. There were multiple issues of Deathrealm, as well as work in Lore, Terminal Fright (both magazine and anthology), Epitaph, Aberrations, and Flesh & Blood magazine. This led to many interior art commissions for RPG games from Chaosium and WEB Games, as well as many anthologies and poetry collections. There was a period where I was hugely prolific with line art, and while the financial reward was less than desirable, the work was huge fun and laid the groundwork for my subsequent freelance career.
AGC: Your earliest published work was mostly black & white interior
illustration, but you very quickly became adept at producing full-color
illos and cover art. Your portfolio includes an impressive number of works
in various media. Do you have a preference — or particular fondness — for
one medium or style over another?
MWM: I knew early on that black & white illustration would not pay the bills no matter how prolific I was. I had to gain color work in the industry to progress. While I see tone extremely well, color use was not something I had any natural ability with. My first forays into creating color work was using markers and color pencil to colorize line art. While the results were good in themselves, it was only a stepping stone towards my use of color in illustration. I made a concerted effort to learn to paint in acrylic and oils from 1999 to 2005. My line art had phased out, and I basically took that time to redevelop my skillset. I was successful in learning to paint, and for several years painted for myself. Those were quite good years, but of course, I had to break into the industry again to get my color illustration career off the ground.
Dark Regions Press offered my first color cover commission, for one of your
books, Mark, titled Other Gods. After that, my cover illustration
career was off to the races. I soon learned that traditional media was not
viable for production on quick deadlines. I was just not fast enough with it,
and the drying times required meant I was fighting both the medium and
deadline to get work done as quickly as possible. In 2009 I made the
transition to all digital workflow, and have maintained steady work ever
since. While not as visceral as traditional media, digital painting has
offered a rich arena for learning and growth, and I still strive to improve
and grow using software and learning new techniques. Regarding fondness, while
digital offers fast production and ease of preparing print files, lately I
have been feeling the urge to return to oils and acrylics. I attend a weekly
drink-n-draw group where I only work traditionally with graphite, charcoal,
watercolor, and color pencils. It is my “sanity break” from steady digital art
production the rest of the week!
AGC: As far as artists go, who might you consider a major creative
influence, if any? How about writers? Are there any particular authors whose
work you haven't illustrated but that you're dying to?
MWM: I consider the late Bernie Wrightson to be my greatest artistic
influence for both my line art and color illustration. His work is sublime,
and always inspiring to me. For color work, I was heavily influenced by
Michael Whelan, and still am in awe of his artistic output today. Along with
these major influences, I love the work of Brom, Larry Elmore, Virgil Finlay,
Wayne Douglas Barlowe, and Phil Hale. Honestly, I could rattle off dozens of
artists, but nobody wants to read such a list here. Suffice it to say I love
visual art and artists, and can gain inspiration from them all. My biggest
author influence (after yourself of course, Mark!) is Stephen King. He is a
very visual writer, and I can literally “see” his prose. Judging by all the
adaptations for film and television, others are similarly affected by his
writing style. For the most part, I have no use for such adaptations, because
they never live up to what I saw in my imagination.
Coincidentally, King is also the “holy grail” author whose work I would
love to illustrate. To get a cover or interior project for one of his
books would be a dream come true! As with artists, there are multitudes of
writers I am influenced by with my art, and a few will suffice to represent
the rest. I love the work of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Pendergast
rocks!), Daniel Suarez, Jim Butcher, Neal Stephenson, Piers Anthony, Robert E.
Howard, Scott Sigler, and of course H.P. Lovecraft.
AGC: In addition to the dark lit business, you've done plenty of work for
the gaming industry. Is there any creative difference in your approach — or
style — for these, or are they flip sides of the same coin?
MWM: I feel they are synonymous with regard to my artistic output.
Granted, subject matter and style can vary, but I strive to put my artistic
stamp on them all. The fact that a fair portion of both the fiction and RPGs
share similar Cthulhu Mythos themes reinforces my love of creating such art,
and I revel in depicting the indescribable and maddening. Fantasy and Young
Adult genres stretch my artistic comfort zone, which is never a bad thing.
Science Fiction is a mainstay genre for me, and I strive for the day when I
can walk through a bookstore and see a dozen of my covers on mass market
shelves. The illustrator’s journey is never-ending for certain!
AGC: You and I used to work for rival educational publishing companies in
Greensboro. Did you ever feel inclined to resort to covert ops to get a leg
up in the business? I know I did.
MWM: Ha! It’s funny, but at the time I never considered that rivalry to
be “a thing,” though it evidently was in hindsight. I loved that job and the
company, and I was aware of your company as another similar business, but I
never felt that competition. I was just happy to have steady fruitful
employment. Of course, that ended in layoff, and when I got hit with the
reality of the existing rivalry between the companies was when I figured I
would seek employment there since it was a similar business. For whatever
reason, the boss at your company would not take any former employee of my
company, period and end of story. Frankly, that pissed me off at the time, as
I would have been a great asset for that company, and would have willingly
shared anything I knew with them in the course of work. Even now, I look back
on that owner’s stance with perplexity. Thankfully, that perceived rivalry is
moot, since both companies are no longer operating in the area, and it never
affected our friendship.
AGC: Were you a "monster kid" in your youth? Watch every horror/SF/critter
feature that came on TV or to the theater? Do you have any favorite memories
or inspiring moments that set you on the creative course you chose?
MWM: Of course! I loved anything monstrous on TV — Godzilla, aliens,
saucers, cities being trampled by who knows what. Friday nights were my
favorite time for watching such movies, and naturally I had to build models of
such things, and play Ultraman or Destroy All Monsters with my
friends of the time. All that changed in 1977 when Star Wars came out.
It was the formative moment of my 10-year-old life, and after that, nothing
would be the same about my artistic output. Even to this day, I still draw
Star Wars stuff, despite never having been hired to do so
professionally. One of these days, though, I will attain that dream as well!
Hear that, Disney? Lets talk!
AGC: Anything you can mention about upcoming projects? What can we look
forward to from you in the coming days/months/years?
MWM I am pleased to be working on a cover and interiors project for Joe
Morey at Weird House Press. Years ago Joe ran Dark Regions Press, and I have
been working with him ever since. Yet another long-running professional
association that has developed into a true friendship. I am thankful to have
such friends in the industry, and that they evidently enjoy working with me!
Additionally, I am happily working on a Chaosium project for a new property of
theirs, and like most things, I can say nothing about it due to NDA.
Unfortunately, with times being as they are, business is not as it once was.
As an illustrator, I am running head first into the AI thing, and I can feel
its effects on my field. But as with any transitive period, flexibility and
resiliency are foremost in my efforts to maintain a fruitful and growing
career. I am nothing if not hard-headed, and I'm in this for the long haul.
You may look forward to having me and my work popping up for many years to
come.
AGC: Thank you, M. Wayne Miller!
