Miguel Calero was born in Madrid and since childhood he felt a great attachment to books and comics. Miguel had read since he was four years old and with five he already did it fluently. He spent his winter afternoons with his nose between the pages of an Enid Blyton book or a Mortadelo and Philemon comics and it was the best thing in the world for him. He also enjoyed copying the drawings of those books and with 6 years was encouraged to make a documentary of crocodiles in cartoons drawing in the lower corners of a notebook. Although I knew that his passion was drawing and he wanted to make a living as a cartoonist, at that time in Spain they answered that if you wanted to starve, that the best thing was a job in an office or a bank and be very warm. Miguel did administrative studies although he did not have much success because his creative mind cares very little if the balance matched or not. So I filled out the ledger accounting ledger and that was not reasonable. He dropped out of school and went to work. I was sure that, if I didn't study, I had to work.
As the work he did did not satisfy him much, he decided that he did not want to feel that way for the rest of his life, and although he was aware that being the one who drew the best of his friends would not take him very far, he sought adequate training to learn and make a living working with a pencil. He especially learned techniques and concepts. He studied at the only academy in Madrid that taught what he wanted and after two years of training he was invited to join the school's group of teachers. And so, for ten years, he combined teaching with the different jobs as freelancers that were coming out. He is currently dedicated exclusively to illustration and after all these years he has learned two things: that he never stops learning and that his mother was right because sometimes, being a cartoonist, he goes hungry. Although Miguel is very proud because he would not change his profession for any other. And we, his fans, are delighted because his work is magnificent and we can enjoy it, at least his latest creations in Touch of Classic applications. In this interview he will present his experience, his works, his projects and his opinions on many aspects related to illustration in Spain. We leave you with the interview that we have enriched with images of works done by Miguel and that he has let us publish.
What types of books have you illustrated and for what ages throughout your career
A bit of everything. Above all I have done a lot of textbooks. Some covers for science fiction and horror novels. Also some children's books. Except for the covers that I mentioned before, almost everything I've done has been linked to children or young people. It's funny because at the beginning of my career, I was more realistic, comic type of super heroes or Conan. The childish style was fatal and I had a hard time making characters that were funny. And now, after so many years dedicated to the youngest audience, I almost forgot to draw realistic.
How long have you been illustrating for children and young people?
Well, practically since I started working on illustration, almost 20 years ago. One of my first professional commissions were books for children for an editorial that published in Panama and other Latin American countries. It cost me a lot because, as I was telling you, it was not the style I used to draw or "consume". The fact is that in the end the client was happy, which followed a long professional relationship illustrating different books of natural sciences, calligraphy, reading-writing books, etc. Always for the Latin American market. Then I did work for other publishers in Spain, such as Pearson Education, for which I have also illustrated several music books, for example.
Where can we find your illustrations
On the web, I have my blog Joining strokes. I usually publish my work periodically, both those that are professional commissions and those that I do personally, simply for entertaining me. Also on my Facebook account I sometimes share some of these drawings that I do to relax.
The publishing house Mestas Ediciones has several books aimed at children or young people with covers and illustrations of mine.
The Spanish Ornithology Society (SEO / BirdLife) is also publishing a quarterly magazine. This is the magazine Aventurer @ s which is the communication organ of your children's club. There are articles, collectible cards, hobbies, all dedicated to nature. The ones in charge of guiding us through it are a gang of very nice animals that, in each issue, something curious happens to them. I have been in charge of the design and layout of the magazine and the creation of the characters, as well as making two comic pages in each issue telling the adventures of these bugs.
Touch of Classic is a project that has absorbed and fascinated me from the beginning
And for more than two years, in the Touch of Classic apps. A project that has absorbed and fascinated me from the beginning. They are classics of universal literature adapted for children. They are not electronic books, but interactive applications that make children discover the classics through games or puzzles, in a fun way. I have even had the opportunity to write the adaptation of one of my favorite classics: Frankenstein. Now we have gone from the classics of literature to operas. And I really am delighted with this project. The applications are available for different devices and platforms and can be viewed on their website.
What training do you have
I studied in the only private school that was at that time that gave professional illustration courses. Now it's called ESDIP, but at that time it was called Fastasma. (It is not a typo, it was called that). I was clear that I wanted to try to make a living with what I liked, but I was also aware that being the one I drew best of my friends was not enough. So there I learned the basics of this profession, the most used techniques, etc. Then, digital techniques and the handling of specific software has been an almost eminently self-taught learning. Now you can do modules or university studies focused on design, illustration or even video games. But at that time there was only the Fine Arts career, which also did not adapt to what I was looking for. Anyway, the bulk of the training in the field of illustration or any discipline related to drawing, ends up being the practice, the experience and the "flight hours", that is, the time you spend drawing and painting. In my opinion, drawing is learned by drawing. Although those technical bases that I mentioned before are very necessary.
What is the experience of posting a large part of your work to a blog?
Well, fantastic. In fact, that work with which I am so delighted, the applications for Touch of Classic, arose thanks to the fact that they saw my work on the blog. Of course, what I am clear is that, if you are not on the Internet in some way, it is as if you did not exist. Also, I don't know other professionals, but I love to have people's response, read their comments, or even their criticisms, provided they are constructive, referring to my work. I am not one of those who think that I already have everything known, and I think that reading these criticisms means that one can continue to grow as a professional. It is one of the good things that the Internet has. Now it is easy to exchange and receive opinions or comments with the people to whom your work is directed. Or address in the same way other colleagues by profession whom I admire, even if they are on the other side of the planet. That was previously unthinkable. And it is certainly a good showcase for potential customers to see what you do and can contact you for new projects.
Who were your idols of drawing as a child and how have you evolved since your first drawings?
Well, certainly one of my idols was and is Francisco Ibáñez, father of Mortadelo and Filemón. I grew up with his drawings and cartoons, and he was one of those who made me wish I could live off the drawing someday. Too Escobar with his Zipi and Zape. Then, with more age, Marvel's super heroes, especially Spiderman, drawn by John Romita; Conan's comic books, with cartoonists that I loved as John Buscema or Barry Windsord Smith. Other authors like Frazetta, with their wonderful covers for Conan, or Creepy made me interested in illustration rather than comic. Therefore, in my beginnings at the school of illustration, my work was more for those courses in terms of style. Then I discovered illustrators more related to the children's or youth publishing market and I got the bug by other styles totally away from the more realistic drawing and made me evolve more in that sense.
What is the future of illustration: paper or tablets
Well, I think both. I don't see that tablets or mobile devices are a substitute for the paper book. Rather they are different means to tell stories differently. The tablets provide a series of features and benefits that the paper does not have, such as the interaction with the elements of the illustrations, narratives in different languages, games, etc. which in some cases are an added value, especially from the didactic point of view. However, a book illustrated in a large format, well edited, with good reproduction quality, will always have its audience and its market. Call me geek or nostalgic if you want, but the smell of a new book when opening it, the creaking of the pages as it passes, is irreplaceable. In fact, if you look, in the electronic books, in many occasions, the artificial sound of the turning of the pages is added. There must be a reason.
From your experience of Touch of Classic, explain to us how you have achieved that each story has characters with such different personalities although the illustrator is the same
Well, you see, there are several reasons why I tried to make each application have a different style. First, by myself. I get bored if I always do the same and the phase of the project of finding a suitable style and designing different characters for each work is the most fun. On the other hand, by the user. If each story had the same graphic style, it would also be boring for the reader. We already have nine titles between literature classics and operas, and if they were all visually the same, it would be a bit shocking and monotonous.
Children know perfectly well if the illustrations you offer are good or not
And finally, for the story. Don Quijote cannot be treated graphically the same as Frankenstein. They are different stories, with different characters and well-differentiated personalities. The part of the illustration does a lot when it comes to transmitting the essence of the story, its atmosphere, its emotions. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy and Frankenstein is one of the saddest stories I've read. They cannot be visually equal.
And how did I get it? Well I do not know. For what I have already told you. I enjoy the character creation part, of looking for different styles. I need to face jobs as challenges. The easy thing would be to do something that is comfortable for me and that comes out first. The difficult thing is to do something different every time. But it is also the interesting, the fun. When I started working with Touch of Classic, one of the questions I had was that, perhaps the same illustrator for everything could be monotonous. I accepted the challenge of making each story different, and for now, I think I am getting it. Of course, you might also have multiple personalities, like Gollum!
How is the creative process of an application on a tablet considering the illustration
The creative method does not differ much from work for any other medium. For me, the first phase always involves a pencil and abundant paper. I usually read the texts or the story to be illustrated. That reading suggests things to me, conveys sensations, brings images to my head. Most of the time unconnected, but that gradually take shape through the pencil. Music helps me a lot. I usually choose music based on the type of story I am illustrating and that helps me create a proper atmosphere. I start making sketches, doodles on paper. Characters almost always. Sometimes only faces or heads. Then bodies. Suddenly, one of those scribbles tells me something and I start to elaborate more on those sketches. At that point, I have already defined what the style is going to be.
From there, I plan the scenes that I have to illustrate. If they are more or less static illustrations, I make sketches of what will be the composition of the scene with its characters and its decoration. I have to be clear about what the interactive elements are going to be or that they are going to move within the scene to plan the final art of that illustration. For example, if one of the characters is going to move an arm, that arm must be drawn apart, so that it can be animated. In the case of operas, the thing was slightly different. I designed the characters as if they were puppets. The arms, forearms, neck, waist, heads, legs ... everything went separately so that it could be animated and moved during the work. Another challenge, since when moving certain parts of the body had to take into account that other parts of the character that until then were hidden were seen. And it had to look good.
When I have all this defined, I start scanning the drawings of characters or backgrounds and the digital part of the process begins. For this I use different specialized software. It is important that there is good communication with another of the important parties involved in the implementation of the application: The programmer. He usually tells me how he wants me to present the final arts, what are his needs to animate those characters, etc. And I always try to make their work as easy as possible.
Who are reference in the illustration currently in Spain and in the world according to your opinion and criteria
What a difficult question. There are many people in Spain with great talent and it would be difficult to mention them all. There are many professionals with different styles and all very good. And since I am so eclectic in tastes, I have many favorites. In addition, with social networks it is so easy to meet artists from anywhere in the world. Yes it is true that some artists set a trend and there is a tendency to have some mimesis among some authors, and I do not speak of Spain, but internationally, which leads illustrators and illustrators to "imitate" certain styles of relative success. I think you have to try to be yourself. It is inevitable to take things from people you like or admire, and that ends up influencing your style in some way. But you have to try to be yourself and leave a piece of your soul in every job you do. On the other hand, anyone who is able to make a living with a pencil, with how difficult this is, already has all my respect.
Do you think that the world of cinema is relying both on the comic and with such success
Well, I think this is nothing more than the reflection of the creativity crisis that many years ago (I speak of a decade even) has been affecting the world of American cinema. Already in the 90s, some adaptations of comics, novels, non-English-speaking films, etc. were being made. But now it is very obvious. Rare is that a movie is not based on a comic, a videogame, a novel or saga of successful novels, refritos of series or movies of the 80. And I have to say that many of the adaptations that are made do not just convince me as comic book fan, except for some honorable exception. Really all this is nothing more than a money maker, and few other things are taken into account. It would not be bad if it served for many people to discover the world of comics through cinema.
The problem comes when some young boy or child sees a Spiderman comic and says: Come on, they have made a Spiderman movie comic! Hollywood's light trees sometimes prevent us from seeing the forest of the comic world, which is generally much better than what is shown on the screen. The over exploitation is never good. Better little and good than much and often bad.
What do you think about the option that now allows you to connect stories between movies, comics, video games, applications?
That there are various ways or means through which to tell stories is fine. That means that these stories can reach more people. However, it gives me a little "repelús" the over exploitation of certain issues or that the stories are diluted in that maremagnum of communication channels. I will try to explain myself.
If you have a story to tell, you choose a medium through which to tell it. And depending on the characteristics of that medium, you tell that story trying to take full advantage of the advantages and avoid the limitations. That same story can be told in a novel, a comic, a movie, a mobile application, etc. But it is the same story, told in different media. Now, if you choose a story and part of it you tell it in a movie, part in a novel, another part in a comic. The story is diluted and lost. That the story is spread in different media is good. But let it be diluted in them, not so much. The Star Wars franchise comes to mind. Movies, novels, series, video games, etc. In the end it is impossible to see everything or read everything. A story ends up becoming that, a franchise, a way to make a lot of money. And the story is lost.
At what ages can children approach the illustrated stories and with what works
I don't think there is age for that. 0 to 99 years or more. There are many illustrated books adapted for all age groups. Obviously when they are very young, they need parental collaboration to make them share in the stories. I already read and taught him illustrated books with drawings appropriate to his age from 5 or 6 months. The story is almost the least in those ages. The important thing is that they begin to enjoy those rare objects full of colors called books.
And with what works? Well with the Universal Touch of Classic classicsof course Mud for home, of course, but they really are a fantastic way to awaken the passion for reading.
What are your next illustration projects
Well, right now I am illustrating a couple of units of an English textbook by Art & Crafts for 1st grade. I am also finishing illustrating a book about natural parks in Spain, specifically the new national park of Guadarrama.
And a new project with Touch of Classic that I can not reveal anything, only that it will also have to do with music. I also have a personal project parked long ago. This is a story I wrote and began to illustrate with the hope of seeing it published one day. Let's see if I take some time to devote.
How the economic crisis is impacting on paper and your work
Well, like everyone else. The part of the paper book dedicated to textbook always has its market, and it is very difficult for it to decay. However, the leisure book is being more punished. In the family or personal economy, the first game that is cut is that of leisure. Less books are bought, less goes to the movies, etc. The digitalization of contents may be an option since production costs are reduced. Unfortunately, I see digital books at exorbitant prices, if we take into account the cost of production and the percentages of the authors. Books that are 20 euros on paper have seen them digitally for 12 or 15 euros. And for the digital book there is no printing or storage expense. So, we are going wrong.
But nevertheless I am in love with the paper book, not only for the contents, but as a collectible object. I have a house full of books, to my wife's despair. I think that the paper book is necessary, it is something beautiful, and we must find a way to make it profitable and accessible to everyone. The problem is that, in Spain, the runs are usually very short unless we talk about bestsellers or consecrated authors. I talk mostly about illustrated books or comic books. If you make a circulation of 1,000 or 1,500 copies, the production costs per unit are very high. In addition, the percentages that take the distributors and some publishers as well, so that the prices of the books are very expensive. In this way, people think twice before spending 20 or 30 euros on a book. I think that some parties involved should consider lowering their profit levels, and I am not talking precisely about the authors.
What do you think of the children's animation works that are being done in Spain: Tadeo Jones, Kandor Graphics (Iberian lynx, Justin), Ilion (Planet 51) and what future do you see in this industry
Well, coincidentally, in all the films you mention, former students of mine have worked from when I was an illustration teacher. So I love them all. The problem that some Spanish animation productions have is that of always. The money. But talent, there is abundance. I think movies like the ones you mention have little to envy of American productions. As for the future of this industry, I hope it will be long and fruitful.
How you can encourage interest in reading to children
Giving them products appropriate to their age and interests and above all, quality. And that entails good stories. No matter the medium, if the story is good, if they identify with their characters, if what you tell them is fun, they will be hooked for sure. Children are children, not fools. And they know perfectly well if what you are giving them is good or not. Sometimes I see products aimed at children both on paper and digital, which do not have the right quality. They are not careful and it shows. Some people think that since they are children, you don't have to take care of the quality of the texts, or the illustrations, that anything is worth. And anything farter from the reality. And another thing that I consider important not to demotivate children with reading is that not everything they have to read has a didactic component. Adults don't just read physics manuals, or botany treatises. Sometimes it's okay to just have fun, right?
When illustrating for children we must seek to please children not art critics
How can parents contribute to increase the reading habit of children and the taste for illustrations?
Sharing with them reading times. When they are small and when they are not so many. My son is 9 years old and from time to time, he likes me to read him. On the one hand, enjoy the book and illustrations. And on the other, from the company of his father or mother. And I refer to my previous answer. Giving them quality.
Successful paper books can be passed to a tablet or something else needs to be done
In my opinion, something else needs to be done. Especially if they are aimed at children. And all the aspects you mention are very important. Not necessarily put less emphasis on the texts, but sometimes a good work of synthesis. If we simply turn to a screen a paper book, we are not taking advantage of all the options of the tablets. Even in adult books or novels, when you transfer them to digital format, you can add extras. Interview with the author, links to websites of interest related to the book, etc. And if the books are for children, even more. Adding animations, sounds, narrations, interaction… In short, take advantage of all the options that digital media give to give added values to the works.
How do you see the current picture in children's illustration
If we take a look at the illustrated books or albums aimed at children, we find real wonders as far as illustration is concerned. Really beautiful things are done. But there are times when, in my view, the notion of who the work is directed is lost. Many times I see illustrated books with a style that I hardly think can interest children of 5, 6 or 8 years, although reading is recommended for those ages. The illustrators, or editors, perhaps, I don't know, get lost thinking about doing a very stylistic, conceptual, striking or daring work, thinking more about artistic concepts than in their target audience, which are children. It does not seem bad to me that they want to do works worthy of being exhibited in art galleries or museums, but if we are drawing or illustrating for children of 6 or 8 years, the subliminal messages in the work, the conceptual subtleties, or the transgressive techniques do not I think they are the most appropriate. When illustrating for children, we must seek to please children, not art critics. Without exempting us from taking care of our technique, or pampering the work to the fullest. As I said before, children are children, not fools.
And here the interview with Miguel Calero. We thank you very much for your collaboration and your generosity in the answers. We are very aware of his new work in Carmen and the Barber of Seville in Touch of Classic that will serve to consolidate and strengthen one of the great series of classic works for children to be enjoyed on mobile devices. It has been a great experience to learn more about Miguel's creative work and we hope to continue seeing and enjoying his drawings and illustrations in many more successful projects.
