The Worlds of the Brothers Waltrip

Q: What Japanese comic books and Japanese animation do you like?
Jason: For comics, I like Appleseed and Dominion, among others. For animation, I like most of the stuff I've seen at JAN meetings: Bubblegum Crisis, Lensman, Dirty Pair, Appleseed, and Miyazaki's works.
John: Hmm... Let me see... Although I like just about everything I see coming from Japan, I only count what I buy as what I really like. For comics, I like Appleseed, Dominion, Gunhed, and Silent Moebius. For animation, I like Macross, Megazone 23 part II, Iczer-1, The Fantastic Adventures of Yohko: Leda, Nausicaa, Bubblegum Crisis, Akira, Vampire Hunter D, Laputa, Baoh, Sol Bianca, The Record of Lodoss War, Gundam, and Gunbuster.

Q: What was your first exposure to Japanese animation?
Jason: Starblazers.
John: Although I vaguely remember some images of Kimba and Marine Boy, I think my first true exposure to Japanese animation was Battle of the Planets and Star Blazers. I don't think that I thought B.O.T.P. was Japanese at the time, but I certainly knew that it wasn't American. The voices never matched up with the lip movements. I thought it was either very badly made, or it was foreign. It was during Star Blazers when I started actually reading the credits that I learned it was Japanese.

Q: What kind of classical art do you like?
Jason: I am fond of the Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles.
John: Oh, the usual paintings and sculptures by the old masters; Michealangelo, Donatello, Raphael, Leonardo, Splinter... Wait a minute... Kiddin aside, I was interested in Da Vinci's works when I was a child. I thought it was amazing, all of the things he did. I also like Art Deco and Art Nouveau.

Q: What formal training did you receive in high scool and college?
Jason: Your basic high school art classes. At VCU, I went through the Art Foundation Program, Media Arts Survey, and Communication Arts & Design curriculum... But I think I learned more after college, once I started working.
John: You would hardly call the training I received in high school "formal", but I did take a year of mechanical drawing and later attended the usual art classes. College was a little more helpful in honing my skills, but only a little. The figure- drawing and anatomy classes were indespensable, but other than that, most of the instructions were "This is today's project... Do it." I can honestly say I learned mosre in my first year out of college than during the entire four years I was there.

Q: Tell us about your animation projects in college. Do you want to develop those ideas into future projects?
Jason: I took an animation class for two semesters and produced two pieces of animation. Both were 30 seconds long and were designed to look like movie trailers for upcoming feature films. One was called The Firebird, based on the music suite of the same name. The other was called Mars! and was about a group of martians trying to save their dying planet. I haven't done anything with them since.
John: I did two animation shorts in college; They're both about one minute in length. One was called The Emerald Egg and the other, Chevron. They're like trailers for movies. The Emerald Egg is a magical fantasy quest, while Chevron is a sci-fi, super-hero adventure. I would like to develop Chevron further, perhaps as a comic book mini-series, and eventually a cartoon or movie based on the character would be ideal.

Q: What was your first professional project?
Jason: Probably a cover or an interior piece for Iron Crown Enterprises, a gaming company.
John: I believe my first professional job, other than the myriad spot illustrations I had done for various gaming companies, was a book cover illustration for Llewellyn Publications for a book entitled Sex Magick. Don't ask me, I just drew the cover...

Q: How were you chosen by Eternity to work on the Robotech: Sentinels?
Jason: A talent scout of theirs saw an amateur comic we made called Cyberknights. After seeing it, they called us and wanted us to do the Sentinels.
John: Let's see, it was way back in 1987. Jason and I were doing the artwork for a small comic book we made called Cyberknights, written by someone else. It was sent to Eternity by way of a talent scout, Brian Marshal. Well, to make a long story short, they liked the art, but not the story, so they hired us to do Robotech: Sentinels.

Q: Please describe a typical day of work on the Sentinels.
Jason: Starting an issue, I first read through the script, then pencil about two pages a day, looking at the script as I go. After I finish pencilling the whole issue, I go into the inking phase. I just ink the characters and/or any foreground elements, leaving the backgrounds in rough pencils. After finishing the inks, I go onto the graying phase.
John: The work day starts when I see the script, I read all the way through to get an overview and all around feel for the story -- it's pace and direction. As I read, I let the images flow through my mind like watching a movie. Later, I go back to the beginning and start the "movie" over again, freezing the images in my head, and then I put them down one page at a time. I can pencil about two pages a day, depending on the complexity of the layout and imagery. The way I work is to sketch out the page on a small scale (8.5" X 11" typing paper), working out the composition and the character poses, and then I blow it up later to the standard 10" x 15" size (on bristol board), where it is ready to be inked and grayed.

Q: How do you go about acheiving the gray tones in the background of your art?
Jason: I use gray paint; An opaque squasche to several values from light to medium to dark. I mask the characters with masking tape and paint the background around them, then pull up the tape. Details are done in gray colored pencils, white paint, and gray marker pins.
John: The gray tones are achieved with gray squasched paint. After inking, I mask the characters or any other elements I don't want painted over, with masking tape. The backgrounds are then entirely painted in. The masks are removed and the characters are toned in with gray felt-tip markers. It's a very laborious technique, but the results are satisfying and unique.

Q: What do you personally feel your strong point in illustration is: human/ animal characters, mecha, or both? And what is your favorite character to draw?
Jason: I've always felt that people and characters were my strong point. I'm not sure there's any one particular character or mech that's my favorite... just all of them.
John: I think I'm better at technical things. I'm trying to improve my figure and organic drawing. I'm a stickler for detail, perhaps too much so. I think I get too caught up in details and overlook the whole picture. I'm trying to loosen up. My favorite characters to draw and mecha are Rick and Lisa, and the Alpha Fighters.

Q: Do you have any interest in getting into the field of animation in the future? If so, what type of projects would you like to work on?
Jason: Yes! I would like all of my ideas to be animated. Failing that, I'd like to work on any interesting animation project.
John: I would welcome any opportunity of getting into animation that arises. It would have to be something science fiction or fantasy related, or super-heroes. I don't think I could draw Smurfs or bunnies for very long.

Q: How do you feel about the future of Robotech: Sentinels? Do you think that there will be a Robotech: Odyssey series, and if so, would you like to work on it?
Jason: I hope it goes on for a long time, at least until we're able to finish it. If it does, and if Robotech: Odyssey comes about, I hope to work on it.
John: Although I enjoy working in grayscale on the book, color would be a definite improvement. Other than that, I think it has potential. Of course there will be a Robotech: Odyssey; Its just a matter of time. I would love to work on it.

Interlude Two In late the late 1980's, JAN correspondent Patrick Judy asked Carl Macek about the possible future of Robotech after the Sentinels, when Mr. Macek was still employed at Harmony-Gold. Mr. Macek gave Mr. Judy a possible storyline for Robotech: Odyssey: The SDF-3 bearing Rick and Lisa arrives at its destination of Earth, but well before the original landing of the SDF-1 in 1999. This of course would create an entirely new storyline, which could have propegated Robotech into an epic. Unfortunately, the problems of property rights, the writing of The End of the Circle, and other realities have probably ended the likelihood of Robotech: Odyssey ever being made.

Q: Do you ever think that the animation of Robotech: Sentinels will ever be finished? If so, would you like to work on it?
Jason: I'd like for it to, but I really don't think it will. But if it ever is, I certainly would like to work on it, having been the art director on the comic adaptation for five years.
John: Honestly, no, I don't think it will be finished. Animation is a very expensive business, with the accent on business. Robotech needs to be picked up by a company willing to take the risk, and nobody wants to risk it. In a way, I have worked on the animation. I've already done the storyboards. It's the comic book.

Since the time of this interview, many things have happened. When Antarctic Press purchased the rights to publish comic books of the Robotech title from Harmony-Gold, the Waltrips suddenly found themselves unemployed. Between 1996 and 1998, many fans have tried to press AP to hire the Waltrips to finish the series. Meanwhile, the Waltrips have resumed contract work on illustrating cards, publications, etc. and painting murals in bistros and shops in the Tidewater area. In addition, Old Red's Web Shop is proud to be their official website. In 1998, one of their fans was able to come in direct contact with Ben Dunn, of Antarctic Press, and this resulted in AP sending a contract to finish the Robotech: Sentinels project to the Waltrips. Unfortunately, the company was either not able or not willing to pay the Waltrips' their industry standard fee, so negotiations fell through. Shortly thereafter, Harmony Gold pulled all licensing of the Robotech line.