JOCHEM VANGOOL - ARTIST IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Welcome to Disney Lorcana Artist Spotlight! In this exclusive interview series, we dive into Disney Lorcana's fourth set, Ursula's Return , through the eyes of the talented artists behind the cards. Jochem Van Gool starts our journey with the artist spotlight with his fearless portrayal of Donald Duck - Musketeer Soldier , who seems ready for an exciting new adventure.
Could you describe a Dreamborn or Floodborn character glow that you would like to design?
Jochem: That's a tough one! There are so many great characters that it's really hard to think of just one. Maybe an all-knowing Dr. Delbert Dopler from 'Treasure Planet' must be cool!
To have all knowledge of the entire universe. He can use the cosmic energy and summon all the galactic constellations as his minions. He would have multiple arms and perhaps a third eye, surrounded by cosmic energy currents, and wear long draped scarves and robes over an adventurer's outfit with tools attached to them to tame the constellations floating around him. Since Jafar is my favorite Disney villain, it would be great to design a Dreamborn or Floodborn character glow of him as well. Perhaps as an all-powerful ghost/sultan/robot casts spells into his twin pairs of eyes as he transforms the land around him into a swirling pool of eternal chaos with evil snakes or cobras sprouting from it.
Villains or heroes? Which ones are more fun to draw?
Jochem: Definitely the villains! They usually have the most dynamic/interesting designs. Their proportions are pushed more often. For example, Ursula or Jafar or Clayton all look very unique. Where the heroes are less tense.
Most of the heroes have similar body types, like: Tarzan and Hercules, all the princes, all the princesses... Even if the characters are animals. Sher Khan vs Baghera or Ratigan vs Bernard. It's easy to see which ones are the most interesting to look at. The design doesn't make them heroes, but their actions do. The best heroes are ordinary characters who do something extraordinary. Unfortunately, regular characters don't look great.
What is a favorite detail you put into a card you designed?
Jochem: In Shenzi 'Hyena Packmaster' from set 3 I placed two hyena faces in the smoke coming from the geysers. The left one is more frontal and the right one is more in profile. I've pointed it out to several people who hadn't noticed.
They are quite distorted to suit a convincing smokey look, so may be difficult to spot!
When you play the game, which cards would you like to have in your deck?
Jochem: As an artist I like to have cards illustrated by my favorite artists, which is not the best approach if you want to win a competition! It's also cool to play with cards that I have illustrated myself.
There's always a little spark when you draw a card that you've worked so hard to get right. It's an instant flashback to the time you worked on it.
I also like to play cards with multiple options. I love it when the characters work together like in the movies.
Like Mickey and the brooms and Pongo or Predita with the puppies.
What is your process for reinterpreting a classic character?
Jochem: First I try to get into the character's head. What would this character do in this situation in that location with this outfit or tool? I know the characters and their personalities from the movies.
So I might be able to figure out a way how they would do things in specific situations. If I don't know the character, I do some research. With this mentality, I sometimes take pictures of myself posing as I would draw the character. Otherwise, I would immediately start sketching until I find a drawing that feels honest and natural for this character. Then I try to stay as close to the original model as possible, so that there is absolutely no doubt about which character I was drawing. Sometimes I adjust the style a bit to my personal taste, trying to achieve the most attractive result possible. If there is a new costume or other change to the character, I try to keep the same look as the original film or franchise. All this of course in close consultation with the Ravensburger and Disney Art Directors.