Artist Information
Name: Attila Schwanz
Cards created: 149 - Tyrannosaurus Rex
Techniques used: Acrylic, ink, ballpoint pen and synthetic feathers on paper
Paleo-art era: Future
Historical period: Mass extinction/Upper Cretaceous
Before “Release the creatures: Dinosaurs!” did you already have a connection with dinosaurs?
“I’ve always loved dinosaurs like crazy! My house is full of magazines, books of every kind, and action figures of these wonderful creatures. When people ask me what my favorite animal is, I answer: “The great white shark... but if we also count extinct animals, the T. rex wins.”
I grew up with films like Jurassic Park, The Land Before Time, We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story, the series Dinosaurs, etc... Not to mention the legendary documentaries by Piero Angela and the BBC. In any case, I watch and read anything—good or bad—that deals with prehistoric giants.
If I hadn’t made the stupid mistake of pursuing a career in art, I would have wanted to become a paleontologist.
Well, if it wasn’t clear, I fucking love dinosaurs.”
This is your first time collaborating with Tomodachi Press. How did you first get in touch?
“Very simply: Dario Moccia contacted me and asked whether I was interested in taking part in the project. My first reaction was to criticize him, telling him that if he liked the crap I make, it proved he had no taste, then I enthusiastically accepted the offer. I admit I never would have believed that someone would seek me out for a project like this. It’s a dream come true.”
“Release the creatures: Dinosaurs!” was created under the artistic supervision of Dario Moccia and the scientific supervision of Willy Guasti. How stimulating was this dual review process?
"I had a fucking blast! I know working with me is tough, since I’m a stubborn pain in the ass, but Dario did everything he could, with great patience and just as much stubbornness, to guide me toward a final product that showcased my work without distorting it to fit the project’s guidelines. Poor Zoosparkle got showered with insults and blasphemy (all in friendship!) over the various corrections he gave me. I find it difficult to describe my work, but I’m aware that it’s almost baroque in how full it is of marks, colors, details and frenetic fury, and I often deform the subjects to heighten the work’s expressionist quality. In any case, working with two great professionals who tried to push me to my absolute best was a real pleasure."
For this set, you created the card featuring the most iconic dinosaur—probably the centerpiece all collectors are waiting for. When you were entrusted with the project, did you feel more pressure from the expectations or honored to be able to draw it?
“As you can tell from my previous answer, the Tyrannosaurus Rex is my favorite dinosaur. I know it’s cliché, but don’t give me shit! I discovered the pleasure of masturb***** to the iconic scene of the T. rex escaping from its enclosure in Jurassic Park. Joking aside, when Dario told me which dinosaur I would be working on, I went crazy with joy. I couldn’t believe it!
I’m fully aware that it’s a much-loved and iconic dinosaur , but that didn’t make me anxious. On the contrary, I saw it as an exciting challenge to bring out my best and give this “beautiful beast” the honor it deserves. So I’m still grateful to Moccia for giving me the honor and responsibility of working on the card that, as you said, is the most anticipated and (I hope) desired card in the set.”
Can you tell me something about the Tyrannosaurus Rex card and how you found inspiration for this artwork?
"The goal was to give it power, grandeur and make it evoke terror. That’s why I made a huge number of sketches, because the difficult thing about working with such a gigantic creature is managing to balance the subject within such a small composition. In the end, we opted for something simpler but effective, relying on my technique to characterize the T. rex.
I don’t like making lots of sketches and color studies. I usually only make incomprehensible pen doodles to work out the composition, which is the most difficult and important part; after that, I let myself be carried away by the winds of Chaos and improvise on the final piece. In fact, while I work, I constantly change my mind based on what I’m feeling and how the artwork develops. Unfortunately, this involves risks. Indeed, there are two Tyrannosaurs! Since I made the first one spontaneously, changing the arrangements with Dario and without showing it to Zoosparkle for the necessary corrections, I had to fix so many things that in the end I decided to start another one from scratch—the one featured in the set.
The tools I mainly work with are ballpoint pens and Molotow acrylic markers. They allow me to transform my nervous linework into color and marks. I’m a great collage enthusiast, because sometimes fragments of things or particular textures are more effective than color. In fact, besides using feathers, the teeth were initially supposed to be made from the tips of plastic knives. Unfortunately, the effect made the creature look ridiculous, so at the last moment I decided to use a digital collage with real T. rex teeth instead."
I noticed that you’re a One Piece fan. Dinosaurs have also been introduced into Eiichiro Oda’s world; imagining a One Piece x Dinosaurs collaboration, which character would you like to reinterpret?
“Well, the best thing about One Piece is its characters. They’re incredibly distinctive. I’m a fan of villains. First of all, I’d say Blackbeard and Moria, but also the rest of the Seven Warlords, Arlong or Kaido. Maybe it’s because they often have rough, crude features, or are so monstrous that I find them particularly intriguing. In fact, I have many collectors who commission One Piece characters, or villains and monstrous creatures from the worlds of comics and anime. Recently, for example, I made a Greymon on shikishi for a commission, which, as a type of creature, isn’t all that far removed from a Tyrannosaurus. At the moment I’m working, also on shikishi, on the five Gorosei in their demonic forms.”
If you could choose another dinosaur and a paleo-art era to interpret for a special card (like the Timeshifted cards), what would you choose?
“Off the top of my head, I’d immediately say the Carnotaurus , which is one of my favorite dinosaurs. But thinking about it, an herbivore (an animal outside my usual comfort zone) would be fun—maybe in the Renaissance, so I could indulge my taste for tackiness and violence.”
Is there one final message or thought you’d like to leave with the collectors and everyone following us?
“Dinosaurs + Art. What else is there to say?!
It’s a colossal project in every sense. Nothing like this has ever been seen anywhere in the world. Bringing together such a beautiful array of artists (all Italian*) to paint scientifically accurate dinosaurs, guided by the evolution of both paleo-art and collectible cards, is pure madness and wonder.
I hope my work has done justice to the Tyrannosaurus Rex, and above all, that collectors can’t wait to open the pack. Then, if you like it, great; if not, I’ll enjoy myself!.”
Attila Schwanz’s Favorites
- Layout: Post-Modern
- Paleo-art era: Future
- Historical period: Cretaceous
- Favorite card in the set: Gorgosaurus Libratus
- Artists: Martoz, Zufo, Riccardo Vignoli and Arturo Lauria
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