I first discovered Clint Langley through the 'Slaine: Book of Invasions' series. His work is stunning, dark, visceral, earthy and utterly absorbing.
 

Clint had actually worked on Slaine some years before Books of Invasion. Under pressure to speed up the production of this particular series – the studio asked for them in black and white ink only. While these have an “Arthur Rackham feel”, and are really stunning and intricate, Clint was itching to have the opportunity to create painted works for Slaine.
 

He got that second opportunity for the Book of Invasions series, co-working with writer Pat Mills, giving him the opportunity to bring something new to the series. Given how talented and accomplished the artists who’d worked on the Slaine series before are, he said he felt he was “standing on the shoulders of giants” (Massimo Belardinelli, Simon Bisley, Glen Fabry) so he had to do something special and original that could stand alongside the amazing work that had come before.
 

By this time he had become well practised in digital art – this was now his preferred medium. He uses a technique that uses a photo base for the characters, creating the rest via digital illustration. Using himself and some friends as models – he took photographs in specific poses with required expressions, but everything else - armour, weapons, monsters, background details, hair, tattoos and so on was illustrated and painted on top.

 

The faces are also enhanced and manipulated digitally – but they retain a photographic look. I really do like this effect – it’s striking, and I feel it really marks out Clint’s dark, intricate and sumptuous work. For some comic purists, it might take a while to get used to – but I’d hope anyone could enjoy this as a stand-alone style.

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Influences
 

Some of Clint’s creative influences include Frances Bacon, John Hicklenton, Ian Miller, Kevin O’Neil, Simon Bisley and other Games Workshop Artists of the ’80s. It was Simon Bisley that worked on Slaine in the 90s. It's easy to see why he refers to him as one of the giants that came before.
 

Many members of Clint’s family were artists, and he says there were books on the great masters lying around as he was growing up. Clint absorbed all of this and it fed into his art style organically as he grew. He says he’s very open to influence from other artists but doesn’t want to emulate – preferring to pursue something original. He doesn’t feel he has one signature style of his own – and mentions in an interview that sometimes this may affect whether a studio takes him on or not because they never know exactly what they’re going to get.
 

I like this approach – because I think if you’re willing to change your style, you’ll break your own barriers, and potentially find some excellent new ideas and material. In another interview, Clint mentions that he does like to draw random things in his spare time – something that has no brief or relation to his current projects. Not only is it relaxing, but it keeps the creative flow going and you discover new ways of working.  

 

Process 
 

In terms of working with the writer - all four artists (in the interview referenced below) that worked on Slaine praise Pat Mills as the writer to work with. He’s been described as an artist-loving writer - giving a lot of leeway to the artists so they can work to their strengths - and often makes adaptations in his dialogue to fit the direction the artist is moving in. This approach contributes to the genius storylines and a fantastic visual finished product.

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You are essentially brainstorming as a team, one that know the characters and the world intimately, and who knows what’s going to work best visually. So that symbiotic relationship again seems integral to the success of a project. A lot of artists really appreciate working with a writer who’s flexible.
 

Style 
 

Clint’s work for 2000AD varies from black and white inking to lush painting, but the Book of Invasions saw his own unique combination of photography, digital illustration and painting with Photoshop.

He wanted to bring hyperrealism and cinematic quality into the dark and visceral fantasy world – and I think he succeeds in doing so.

The digital method allowed him to plan scenes on a bigger scale than had been done before. Consider the freedom in drawing battle scenes for instance – with the ability to duplicate armour, copy paste and adjust, rather than having to painstakingly paint every single body.
 

Clint’s work is so eclectic, but if I was to pinpoint something about his style that’s consistent through his work it’s his love of detail. It’s always incredibly lush, and fascinatingly intricate.  His colouring style and pallet seem influenced by watercolour paints – he mentions this himself –  feathering of the edges and blending feel natural to him. He has worked with oils too but is not as keen on an acrylic or gouache look.