INT: Ben Templesmith

Last Updated on July 28, 2021

The
Arrow interviews Ben
Templesmith

Australian artist Ben Templesmith is
best known for having worked on the vampire graphic novel 30 Days of
Night with Steve Niles (to be cinematically adapted by Sam Raimi’s
prod company). He’ s also done some stuff for various Star Wars,

Army of Darkness and Silent Hill
properties. The man keeps busy! Funnily enough, I got to know him
via his stellar creature Production Designs for

“Boogeyman” which led me to me
asking him to do the amazing “Teaser Poster” for
Pain Killer, a film I’m working on. I had the chance to
tequila shoot a couple of questions Ben’s way and here’s what he
spat back at me.

What’s your favorite horror movie?

Have to be John
Carpenter’s “The Thing”. Great, bleak story, and great effects that
still hold up to this day pretty much!

What’s your favorite
horror comic in terms of art and narrative? Why?

Would have to be Hellboy,
though it’s not technically true ‘Horror’ in my mind, but it’s one
of the best comics out there, and Mike Mignola can tell the best
stories. His sequential techniques put everyone eels to shame
really.

Was drawing something
you always had in you? Did you go to school to perfect your skills?

Yeah, I was drawing
before I could write. Pretty much self taught, though I ended up
going to University and getting a Design degree, majoring in
Illustration. They taught us how to sell ourselves though, not how
to actually ‘do’ art.

What was the “plot
turn” in your life that had drawing become a career?

I guess the move that
turned it into a career was picking out 30 Days of Night from
a list of pitch material a guy named Steve Niles and I wanted to do
between our then regular gig working on a comic called Hellspawn.
IDW Publishing had balls enough to risk publishing it…and then
thanks to the concept and a pretty looking concept book that was
shown around studios, it got optioned, got a hell of a lot of buzz,
and away I went as ‘vampire boy’ doing vamp comics for the longest
time. Still doing em too. Working on one with Amber Bensen of Buffy
fame right now. Having a blast with her writing style too. Very cool
and quirky which I love.

What’s your process
when its time to “create”? Booze, loud music, strippers dancing in
your office…?

You forgot everything but
the cocaine. Actually it just involves sitting at a desk all damn
day, drinking coffee, and playing with my cats to chill out at break
times.

You did the amazing
Production Art for the “Boogeyman” creature. How did you feel when
you saw the film and their CG rendition of it?

Thanks! Yeah, I have the
guys like Sam Raimi and Rob Tappert to thank for that and for the
whole 30 days of Night option thing too. The funny thing is though,
I’ve not seen the movie yet. Would have to download it if I wanted
to see it, since it comes out here (Australia) May 24^th
or something like that. And the studios wonder why piracy is a
problem? Hah! I love same day world wide releases!

You illustrated “30
Days of Night” for Steve Niles. Did you have a hunch while working
on it that the comic would be such a success?

Well, I never illustrated
it ‘for’ him as such, it was a collaborative effort, and it only
really happened because I was willing to work for free in the end! I
guess you could say I had a little inkling it might be something
people could latch onto when I picked it from that pitch list I
talked about. Doing that, and the rather popular pitch book artwork
really sold it. But to do what it did and have a bidding war on
movie rights and all that hype and craziness, well, no one could
predict that (at least I can’t! ). One of those right place, right
time things I think.

Do you think you’ll
ever draw outside the macabre? Like Barbie’s Next Adventures
perhaps?

Oh definitely. Already
done a more sci-fi series called ‘ Singularity7’. That was all me.
Mostly these days, I want to draw nude women with snake tattoos and
things, which are all over my website

http://www.templesmith.com. After awhile doing all the
dark stuff can get a bit monotonous, but it’s still what I enjoy.
Most things will have a dark twist to them if I draw them. I think
I’m coming to the end of drawing vampires soon though. Bit sick of
them. Need a break!

Do you have any other
aspirations within the horror industry?

Not really. Having
achieved my goals and then some…I couldn’t ask for more. I’m just
happy to see what the future brings. Would love to try my hand at
music videos one day maybe, but mostly I want to concentrate on
upping my skills. They’ve suffered too much from deadline fatigue. I
want to spend 4 months on one painting or something sometime. Yeah,
that’d be nice!

I’d
like to thank Ben for dropping by the site and wish him the best of
luck in his future endeavors. Now go spend that 4 months on one
painting man! Make it happen! It’s the only way it will! Cheers
mate!

VISIT
BEN TEMPLESMITH’S OFFICIAL SITE