Tom Kidd - OtherWorlds: How to Imagine, Paint and Create Epic Scenes of Fantasy

BY MICHAEL WHELAN

Tom asked me to write an intro for this book. I haven't seen the book yet, but I think it's bound to be good. In fact, I'm sure of it. You see, that was our deal; I write an intro, Tom gives me a copy of his new book. Then, hopefully, mysteries are answered: I learn something of how he does what he does, acquire some of his glorious color sense, absorb his feel for three-dimensional structure, learn where his fantastic ideas grow from and how he nurtures them into full-flowered paintings of wonder and beauty. I imagine that's why you are holding this book, too.

We are going to have to rely on Tom's own words and examples for this info. I went over his biographical background, asked him some annoyingly personal questions, and all I can gather is that he is Tom Kidd the celebrated fantasy and science-fiction artist, more in spite of his history, than because of it.

His life wasn't so special, as he often points out.

Like many of us, he was born.

He grew up some. He got very sick. (St. Louis encephalitis, or SLEV as it is called by the CDC, is an uncommon but occasionally fatal nervous system viral infection, nearly impossible to treat.)

He recovered but slowly and haltingly.

Nevertheless, he continued to grow.

He read. He was curious. He learned. He drew.

Then

He got the idea he could make a career out of illustrating.

His family and friends assumed the poor guy was feeling the effects of a latent SLEV hallucination, but it was not so.

He worked at it. He ignored doubters. He refused to take no for an answer.

Entering the 1974 Florida State Fair art competition, he won a scholarship to Syracuse University.

At Syracuse and afterwards, he diligently worked on developing a portfolio, and worked very hard to get that portfolio seen by the right people in the publishing business.

So, because he would not accept otherwise, he got his first assignment. He got another assignment. Is still getting assignments.

Along the way he has won many awards, and worked on a wide variety of projects, including movies (Disney's Treasure Planet), theme park conceptualization, a series of works in an alternate persona [the Gnemo collection], and so on. At the same time he has developed a following and a reputation for excellence that makes him a much sought-after and perennially popular artist.

So despite my joking and his comments to the contrary, Tom's was an unusual and onerous upbringing to be sure. But even a glance at his history makes it plain that it is his artist's mindset [powered by determination and intelligence] that has turned his experiences into art, not the other way around. His experiences didn't make him an artist, but overcoming them may have endowed him with the patience, tenacity and wisdom that informs one's work and ensures a successful career. We readers may not have shared his experiences, but we are lucky to be able to benefit from them, because Tom is sharing what he has learned in these pages.