10 QUESTIONS FOR MARK PINGITORE
On sale this month is the first issue of the Garbage Pail Kids Puke-tacular comic book by IDW Publishing. IDW also publishes many other popular comic lines such as My Little Pony, G.I. Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Transformers. With the release of the first issue, IDW offered four variant covers. The main cover was illustrated by fellow GPK artist Mark Pingitore which shows classic GPK character Nat Nerd as a superhero swinging from a rope of his own snot. Mark also illustrated a two-page story for this first issue (Con Crud).
Mark agreed to do an interview for the funtime blog and share some photos of his collection and work space. So here we go...
TEN QUESTIONS FOR MARK PINGITORE
1.) What were your earliest experiences with Garbage Pail Kids trading cards, and how does it feel to be working on them for the next generation?
I was only three when they came out, but I remember carrying around stacks of the earlier series cards. My older brother collected them, so the first couple series were probably doubles I acquired from him. I can remember opening packs of 3rd series and up by myself, and I was hooked. It's been so much fun to work on the new sets after collecting them when I was younger. I really can't believe sometimes that this is what I get to do for my job.
I was only three when they came out, but I remember carrying around stacks of the earlier series cards. My older brother collected them, so the first couple series were probably doubles I acquired from him. I can remember opening packs of 3rd series and up by myself, and I was hooked. It's been so much fun to work on the new sets after collecting them when I was younger. I really can't believe sometimes that this is what I get to do for my job.
2.)I remember seeing your first artwork on the Garbage Pail Kids around 2006 but as I discovered later you had been creating concepts for dozens of Garbage Pail Kids before that. What was it like to start painting the final card art and come out of the shadows?
It was a little scary, but also very exciting. Scary because I wanted the fans(myself included) to be happy with my work, and excited because it was something I had been working toward for many years. You always have a specific image in mind after coming up with an idea, so it was great to start having more control over making the final card look that way. I'm my biggest critic, but I'm happy with how my work has progressed each series.
It was a little scary, but also very exciting. Scary because I wanted the fans(myself included) to be happy with my work, and excited because it was something I had been working toward for many years. You always have a specific image in mind after coming up with an idea, so it was great to start having more control over making the final card look that way. I'm my biggest critic, but I'm happy with how my work has progressed each series.
3.) In 2012 Topps came out with the magnet series in which you did the final artwork for 12 of the 16 magnets. That must have been amazing to see that series hit the shelves.
Definitely. It was a great chance to do that Magnet set. It had been awhile since there had been any new GPK sets after ANS had ended in 2007 and the Flashback sets had started up. Also, it was the first time where I was allowed to draw them in the OS style, so it was a big deal to me. On top of that, all of the new cards were from my concept drawings, so it was like my own mini set. I'd still love to revisit them someday and do acrylic paintings of them because they were originally done digitally.
4.) I lost my childhood Garbage Pail Kids collection and started rebuying them in 1995. I read somewhere that the same thing happened to you. Have you been able to amass a decent collection since then?
I lost them at some point in the early 90's and was able to buy complete sets from some random card dealer I found in a trading card magazine. It had been a kind of quest of mine to find any GPK cards again after finding Ali Gator in a box of family photos, and I was lucky enough to eventually find a great source to buy them from. In 96-97 I bought a few sets each month until I had the complete OS1-15 sets. I got all of them new except for OS1 that I had to buy on ebay. Those are the cards I still own today, all kept in one gigantic binder.
5.) Off the top of your head can you list some of your favorite classic/old school Garbage Pail Kids?
Some of my favorite classic GPK would be Cracked Jack, Split Kit, Mugged Marcus, Dyna Mike, and Cactus Carol.
6.) Who are your inspirations and favorite artists?
My biggest inspiration and influence, as convenient as it may sound, has been John Pound. His art really influenced my style at an early age. I'm also a big fan of Norman Rockwell, and I love Greg Capullo's work, especially what he has been doing with the latest Batman comic books.
7.) What is your opinion of the 1987 Garbage Pail Kids movie?
I appreciated it the couple times I saw it when I was young, but I can't say that I'm a fan now. It's doesn't quite reach the so bad it's good category for me, just bad. Haha. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with the new movie. I think it could be great if done by the right creative team.
8.) In order of humor, which of these 5 things are the funniest? Snot, barf, farts, zits, or pee?
1.farts
2.zits
3.snot
4.barf
5.pee
9.) Tough question. Of the Garbage Pail Kids that you've created, which ones are you the most proud of?
I'd say I'm most proud of my most recent work, specifically Rick Grimey/Sheriff Biff and Split Krit/ Connie Science from 2014 S2. I think those have been my best GPK paintings so far. I always aim to have the artwork be able to sit beside John Pound's OS artwork and look like it belongs. I tend to look back a few series and wish I could redo some of those earlier paintings.
10.) With the 30th anniversary of Garbage Pail Kids coming up, what do you see in the future?
I think 2015 is going to be an exciting year for Garbage Pail Kids fans. There will be several new card sets, toys, comic books, shirts, the documentary, games, and I'm sure much more being cooked up that I'm not aware of. It's definitely a great time to be a fan!
Thanks for the interview Mark. I agree this is going to be a big year for Garbage Pail Kids. Keep up the fantastic work!
Definitely. It was a great chance to do that Magnet set. It had been awhile since there had been any new GPK sets after ANS had ended in 2007 and the Flashback sets had started up. Also, it was the first time where I was allowed to draw them in the OS style, so it was a big deal to me. On top of that, all of the new cards were from my concept drawings, so it was like my own mini set. I'd still love to revisit them someday and do acrylic paintings of them because they were originally done digitally.
4.) I lost my childhood Garbage Pail Kids collection and started rebuying them in 1995. I read somewhere that the same thing happened to you. Have you been able to amass a decent collection since then?
I lost them at some point in the early 90's and was able to buy complete sets from some random card dealer I found in a trading card magazine. It had been a kind of quest of mine to find any GPK cards again after finding Ali Gator in a box of family photos, and I was lucky enough to eventually find a great source to buy them from. In 96-97 I bought a few sets each month until I had the complete OS1-15 sets. I got all of them new except for OS1 that I had to buy on ebay. Those are the cards I still own today, all kept in one gigantic binder.
5.) Off the top of your head can you list some of your favorite classic/old school Garbage Pail Kids?
Some of my favorite classic GPK would be Cracked Jack, Split Kit, Mugged Marcus, Dyna Mike, and Cactus Carol.
6.) Who are your inspirations and favorite artists?
My biggest inspiration and influence, as convenient as it may sound, has been John Pound. His art really influenced my style at an early age. I'm also a big fan of Norman Rockwell, and I love Greg Capullo's work, especially what he has been doing with the latest Batman comic books.
7.) What is your opinion of the 1987 Garbage Pail Kids movie?
I appreciated it the couple times I saw it when I was young, but I can't say that I'm a fan now. It's doesn't quite reach the so bad it's good category for me, just bad. Haha. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with the new movie. I think it could be great if done by the right creative team.
8.) In order of humor, which of these 5 things are the funniest? Snot, barf, farts, zits, or pee?
1.farts
2.zits
3.snot
4.barf
5.pee
9.) Tough question. Of the Garbage Pail Kids that you've created, which ones are you the most proud of?
I'd say I'm most proud of my most recent work, specifically Rick Grimey/Sheriff Biff and Split Krit/ Connie Science from 2014 S2. I think those have been my best GPK paintings so far. I always aim to have the artwork be able to sit beside John Pound's OS artwork and look like it belongs. I tend to look back a few series and wish I could redo some of those earlier paintings.
10.) With the 30th anniversary of Garbage Pail Kids coming up, what do you see in the future?
I think 2015 is going to be an exciting year for Garbage Pail Kids fans. There will be several new card sets, toys, comic books, shirts, the documentary, games, and I'm sure much more being cooked up that I'm not aware of. It's definitely a great time to be a fan!
Thanks for the interview Mark. I agree this is going to be a big year for Garbage Pail Kids. Keep up the fantastic work!
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
