Interview with Frank Villarreal

What was your first sketch card job?
Actually, the Clonewars widescreen set is the first one I've ever done. A friend kept directing me towards them and I was always rather in the middle of projects or I'd miss the call for artists. Fortunately, this last set came at the perfect time.

How do you feel about working on such a small surface?
WOW! It's like working thumbnails. The small format allows me to be a bit looser and to choose faster but more forgiving mediums.

How do you feel about the entire sketch card process?
I think my case was a little different. At the time, I was trying to get more information about the set and before I knew it, these things were in my lap with a contract and a little over two weeks to do them. That kinda took me off guard. I just wish I had a little more time to get a little more color. That and life does that thing where it likes to get in the way at the worst possible time. I had to sketch at slightly slower than lightspeed.

Do you have a lot of contact with collectors regarding your cards?
No. . . not yet anyway. It *is* my first time. :)

Has your career as an artist benefitted from doing sketch card work?
I'll have to fill you in later. I do stuff on a local level but I hope that these can at least get me more exposure online.

What was the most difficult sketch card set you have worked on to date?
Well of course it's the widescreen Clonewars set. I tried to find a nice little method to get them done. I worked through all of them in pencil, then ink and color. I needed a medium that I could work fast and comfortably. For that reason, I mainly used colored pencils and watercolors. What's the hardest thing? Just getting started.



Are there any cards that you are particularly proud of?
I really enjoy drawing Hutts and Ashoka so I guess it would have to be those. I love drawing Kit Fisto. I just wish I could have drawn him more. He just screams "cool".

Some companies provide return cards for working on sketch card sets. What are you planning to do with them?
That's a good question. I'm not too attached to my stuff so I guess I wouldn't really keep them unless my nieces and nephews wanted them first. Otherwise, I'm inclinded to make them available online.

Do you see yourself continuing with sketch card sets?
I had a blast with these. If given more than two weeks to do them, I would have loved to spend more time on color. It won't be my last that's for sure.

Is there any advice you would like to give to people wanting to break into the sketch card ‘biz’?
The best thing I could say is that this is work. It's fun and it requires patience, but once you lose it, you're going to struggle. The best thing for me was to work on one character at a time for a few cards before moving on.



Where can people see more of your work?
I'm just starting to get out there online. You can find my stuff at: www.albinopenguin.net or my deviant art page: http://feeves.deviantart.com/

Thank you, Frank!