art attack
Paul Mann on creating the artwork for Mondo’s Contra III vinyl release
how did you become an artist?
My interest in art originated at a young age from my father, who was also an artist and photographer. I can remember him with an easel painting landscapes in oil paints. One day, when in first grade, I showed him some drawings I had done and he was amazed. From that point on, my parents gave me much encouragement. I always knew that art is what I would do for a living. It was just something I was born to do.
did you have any prior knowledge of the game?
I had no knowledge of the game before I worked on the piece. I had to do some research. I also had help from several people who had grown up playing it. Once I began to find out more about the game it intrigued me and I was eager to start the project.
Where did you get inspiration?
I drew inspiration from a love of Illustration artwork that was done during the Sixties. My work emulates that style and design. Mondo also likes that style and that’s why they contacted me to do the Contra III art. I knew I wanted my art to have the same energy that existed in the movie posters that I had grown up with, which involved tons of action, colour and excitement.
did you listen to the soundtrack to get a feel for the game’s tone?
While doing my research I listened to the soundtrack before I started my art in order to get a feel for the game. I knew my art had to have the same high energy and impact as the soundtrack did. I really liked the rhythm and the beat, which gave the game a highpaced motion.
how did you recreate the look of the main characters?
I would look at how they moved, how they were dressed and their mode of attack. I also researched the aliens, the backgrounds and the weapons. My challenge was to create this in a realistic style. For the main characters, I used my nephew as a model who had the right look and physique that was needed. I photographed him in many different action poses to get that realistic look. I first had to show Mondo sketches of the direction I wanted to go. After they approved that, I did full-colour comps. Then I moved to the final artwork that was painted in acrylic paints. I worked on this project for about a month, that’s including research and approvals. The actual artwork took about four days.