Peter Thorpe: Illustrator, Designer, Author
by Chris Africa
I discovered Peter Thorpe on Sffworld.com, where I read his short story "Pave the Universe." When I invited him to submit a short story to Ultraverse, I was delighted to learn that Pete is also an accomplished illustrator of more than 20 years!
Pete best known for his designs of the Tony Hillerman mystery novels, but he also creates some fabulous rocket paintings and recently illustrated the children's picture book, The Amulet of Komondor by Adam Osterweil. He's currently working on Osterweil's next book, The Lost Treasure of Talus Scree.
I asked Pete to tell us about his design/illustration career, and his sci-fi work in particular.
Q: It's obvious from your bio that you had a love of art and design from a young age. You mention meeting Pauline Baynes, who illustrated "The Chronicles of Narnia" for C. S. Lewis, as well the "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Tolkien Reader" for J. R. R. Tolkien. How did this meeting influence your career?
A: I met Pauline when I was a teen on an exchange school program in England. I didn't have much in the way of drawings then. I brought some pencil sketches on line paper, magic marker on newsprint, of dragons and spaceships -- a high school kid's drawings. I felt so embarrassed to even show them to her, but I did, and she took me quite seriously. I guess she saw my enthusiasm, because the drawings weren't very good. But whatever it was, she looked at me and said, "Oh, yes, you can do it. You can be an illustrator." And over the years I've sent her covers that I've done and she has been both praising and sometimes critical.
But on that first meeting, she was all enthusiasm, and that was such a boost. I still feel it today.
Q: Were there any other early influences on your career?
A: Yes, at least one other major influence: Dany Frolich. I grew up in New Orleans in the 60s and 70s. The biggest commercial artist in town was Dany. He designed the five or six biggest Mardi Gras parades -- the floats, the posters, the doubloons, everything. But he also was the most notable science fiction illustrator there. He worked for the magazines and was always at the conventions. I worked on two Star Trek cons there because of him (VulCon I & II) and also went to a weekly artist meeting that he was a part of in the courtyard of the Napoleon House in the French Quarter. George Alec Effinger used to be there and I remember him talking about his work on the Planet of the Apes books. But Dany was my hero -- an artist who did science fiction and fantasy....and Mardi Gras! Big influence.
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"Face it, we're only a short time out of the trees." Peter Thorpe |
Q: How long have you been writing sci-fi stories?
A: I started to seriously write sci-fi around 1990. Almost everything I've written takes place in a near future cis-lunar environment. I'll expand eventually, but I want to explore the near future stuff first.
Q: As far as your "day job," do you feel you've been pigeonholed as a mystery designer?
A: Yes. The reason I've done mostly mysteries and espionage in my career is because I did that stuff early on when I got to New York City and started visiting the publishers. The art directors decided I was good for those categories, and so that was that. I could ask Gene Mydlowsk, Creative Director at Ballantine, to give me a science fiction to work on, but all I've ever done for him are mysteries, so why should he change horses in the middle of the stream? Besides, he works with Vallejo and DiFate and Warhola when he does the Ballantine science fiction titles!
I haven't tried too hard to switch over, because the mysteries are a good gig. Working on the Tony Hillerman books alone are worth it for sticking around in that category.
Q: What, if anything, would you like to change about your career?
A: I love all books, but science fiction is the one category of fiction that still completely sends me over the horizon (so to speak).
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Cover for "The Amulet of Komondor" |
Q: You do get to do some sci-fi work on the job, though, like The Amulet of Komondor. The illustrations in that book have some distinct animé qualities. Was this intentional?
A: Yes, that's part of the story. Earth kids get caught in an animé world, then bounce back and forth between the worlds. I had to make them recognizable in both, even thought they go through changes as they progress. A hard problem, but a fun one to tackle. I love the author, Adam Osterweil. It's great to work on quality stuff. Now I'm working on his next children's book, "The Lost Treasure of Talus Scree," for Front Street Books.
Q: Your rocket paintings are fantastic! How did you get started painting rockets?
A:I originally started them as a way to use up left over acrylic paint from my commercial jobs. I used to just throw the wet pallet with the unused paint away, but then it occurred to me that I could use that paint to do quick rocket paintings. I'd find some blank illustration board and cover it with the paint using quick, broad strokes...making an abstract background. Next time I had some extra paint, I'd grab one of those backgrounds and fashion a simple rocket on top of it. The ones that looked promising I'd later finish up.
My paintings have been influenced heavily by Robert Heinlein. "Black Pits of Luna." "Have Space Suit will Travel." Also Asimov and Clarke, and some of the 'newer' authors like Niven and Cherryh. And "Destination Moon" and "2001: A Space Odyssey." Jules Verne, Robert Goddard, Chesley Bonestell, Estes Rockets, Apollo...
Q: It looks like you've done dozens of rocket paintings. Do you ever have trouble thinking of fresh perspectives for your paintings?
A: No, I can do them forever. Right now, I'm up to about 57 or 58 of them.
Q: Where have your rocket paintings been used?
A: I use them mainly for my work with the Space Frontier Foundation, and they have appeared in Space Front, the magazine I design for them, and on their web site. I have sold a number of them to people I've met at Foundation conferences. Author Ben Bova has a 'Hugo' rocket painting I did that he keeps on a shelf with his real Hugos. Other people who have my paintings are Andrew Chaikin (former editor of Sky and Telescope), author of A Man on the Moon, which became the basis for Tom Hanks mini series From the Earth to the Moon, and Walt Anderson, the entrepreneur who privately funded the last cosmonaut flight to Mir.
Rocket #48 |
Desert Test |
Rocket #35 |
Q: Even your volunteer life is related to science! You mentioned Space Frontier Foundation, in particular. Tell us about your work with that organization.
I met Rick Tumlinson in New York City in 1986. I lived there for many years, as did he. We were young and energetic and his thing was space advocacy. He was just starting a non-profit called the Space Frontier Foundation and I wanted to work on space stuff. I did his logo, and have been the Creative Director of the Foundation ever since.
Q: Back to the guts of your day job: You've called yourself a "design-oriented illustrator." What do you mean by that?
A: For the covers, I almost always do the type and design as well as the illustration. I am both a designer and an artist, but my design sense definitely influences my artwork. I do get into serious rendering sometimes, but mostly I concentrate on the overall design. Working with the Navajo sand painting images for the Hillerman covers is perfect for me, because, like the Navajos, I love simple, strong design.
Q: Do you read the entire manuscript before you begin designing a cover for it?
A: Sometimes the MS isn't done yet...like with Tony Hillerman or Garrison Keillor. The publishers market big books way before they're released. So sometimes the book isn't even finished yet when they need a cover image to send around. I've had to talk to Tony and Garrison and Larry Bond and a few others on the phone to get their synopses. But sometimes I get a few chapters, and sometimes the whole MS. I prefer the whole MS, though talking to some of these authors on the phone is fun!
Q: You've also done several covers for scientific non-fiction books, such as The High Frontier, Return to the Moon II and III, and Psycho-Cybernetics. How is the thought process different for designing non-fiction covers than for fiction covers?
A: Actually it's about the same as I approach them as a designer. But with non-fiction I'm sometimes just the designer, and work with art by someone else. The two Return to the Moon proceedings are my design, but have art by Mark Maxwell, a great space artist and a friend. The High Frontier has digital art of an O'Neill space colony by Dave Lauterbach and Dave Brody of Space.com. On the fiction covers I always do my own art, but on non-fiction covers I sometimes get to work with other artists.
A: As far as working for the publishers goes, it's more or less the same. Things are a bit tighter these days. More efficient, slicker, more special effects (foil, embossing), but the business of publishing goes back hundreds of years and they got their act down a long time ago. It hasn't changed that much.
Q: What advice would you give someone wants to break into cover designs?
A: Go to where the art directors are...New York City. Meet them, hang with them, go to parties with them...at least go to the Society of Illustrators and Art Directors Club parties and shows. Join the Graphic Artists Guild. Get to know them. Then have something remotely useful for them to print and you'll get work. You can also do this long distance by mailers and phone calls, but nothing beats actually being there and knowing those art departments personally.
Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: One of my phrases I use for the Foundation is: The Next Step to Growing Up is Going Up. In other words, we're all kids here. Face it, we're only a short time out of the trees. We're still animals. Some of that animal stuff is fun (!), but I'd so like to live in an environment of human cooperation and advancement. I want to be part of the next big step we take. And I think the way to get there is by going up. What did Heinlein say? "When you get to Earth orbit, you're half way to the rest of the Universe."
For more information about Peter Thorpe, read his bio on his personal web site and in a story in Asheville Citizen-Times. You can reach him by email at pjthorpe@bellsouth.net
© 2003 Chris Africa
Ultraverse e-zine is Copyright 2003 Parola Scritta and Chris Africa.
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