July 24, 2013: Gypsy Generation, Ale Giorgini for gypsygen.com

A few days before the 85th Oscar ceremony earlier this year, the Academy posted a quirky illustrated version of The Big Lebowski movie poster on their Facebook page. Shared with its 684k followers, they cited artist Ale Giorgini as the man behind the minimalistic creation. One status update, and the world was introduced to the talented Italian cartoonist/illustrator.

Living and working from Vicenza, Italy, Ale wasn’t exactly sitting at home waiting for the Academy’s recognition. At 36 years old, he’s a prime example of an accomplished artist doing what it takes to make it in the business, having collaborated with global players like MTV, Warner Bros, Emirates, Sony Pictures, Kinder Ferrero and Virgin Atlantic. Giorgini also runs four monthly comics, including Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, as well as performing and exhibiting his work in galleries in Los Angeles, New York and Rome.

A pop-culture head and movie buff, drawing movie posters was as his personal ‘art homework’ came naturally to Ale– before major companies started paying him to keep on doing so. Once a little boy drawing lines in his sketchbook, Giorgini one of the lucky ones who’s turned his hobby into a career. Inspired by his success as an international artist, I spoke to Ale about how he balances his artwork between his own passion projects and those that pay the bills.

Do you remember the first thing you ever drew?
No, I really don’t remember what it was. When I was a child, I remember I was always drawing in the kitchen while my mum was cooking or cleaning the house. She still has all my old sketchbooks. Maybe she knows which my very first drawing was!

Did the Academy’s Facebook mention of your “The Big Lebowski” illustration open any doors for you?
It definitely helped to spread the word about my art. After that mention, a lot of websites and blogs started talking about me and my work, it got my put on some art directors’ desks. After a while, it led to collaborations with Sony Pictures and Warner Brothers.

What’s it like balancing our own projects with being an accomplished commercial illustrator?  
I think that it is important to take time for personal projects, because they are exactly what you are; they are what you see, what you think, what you feel. Personal projects take out your real essence. In the past years, I often had to work on projects that didn’t make me feel complete and that sometimes required me to “change” my style to satisfy the client.
A few years ago, I decided to bet all my cards on my own “vision” and began spending my time on my own projects and working for myself. Today, I can say that I’ve won that bet. Brands like MTV, Warner, Sony and others now call me up to collaborate because of my style and because I followed that vision. I don’t know if there is a right balance between personal projects and commissioned ones, but I can say that the first ones are very important toward finding your way.

What inspired you to start drawing movie posters in your own way?
I love watching movies and, of course, I love my job. This project is my way to bring those two things together. It started as a personal project to develop my style, somewhat like an art homework. Now, I get commissioned to draw movie posters!

What was the first poster you re-envisioned? Which was the most difficult for you to recreat?
The very first one was “Machete”, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with the artwork, so I took it down from my website and have worked on it mroe down the line. The first one that I’ve published was The Big Lebowski. The most challenging one was one my latest, Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, because of all the detail I put into it.

How long does it take you to work on a poster?
It depends on the subject. A movie poster usually takes me a whole working day; I need to watch the movie, then sketch the artwork, work on it digitally and finally apply the colours. I usually work on a single artwork in different intervals until I am completely satisfied, sometimes days after drawing it initially.

Any rituals when you’re working on a piece?
Not really. I always start with watching the movie or some episode. I love to work in daylight– I’m not a “night” man! I think I have a pretty disciplined work schedule; I start working at about 7:30 AM every day and usually finish around 6:30 PM. I’ll listen to music throughout the day, but don’t love any specific genre, it just depends on my mood. Then I love to keep the evening “free” to indulge in a good comic book, movie or glass of wine.

You also draw minimalistic portraits of celebrities. If you were to draw me, what characteristics would you base your drawing on?
Definitely the beard and the Ray Ban sunglasses.

What kinds of reactions do you get on your work? How do you deal with negative remarks?
Some months ago someone told me that my art is “yoga for the eyes”. That’s funny! Sometimes bad comments on your work can be the best thing that can happen to you, because they push you to do more than your best. Just like sometimes good comments on your work can be the worst thing that can happen to you, because they keep you sitting at the same point.

What’s your next move?
I’m working on some new movie posters for some upcoming shows in the States, as well as a solo show I’ll have next spring here in Italy. It’s a project I’ve been involved with the last months, for a very big entertainment company, so for now I have to keep it top secret. Hey, I’m going to send you an invitation!