There are very few artists left who have had such a storied career. A career most of us would be jealous to have…if it was even one facet of what multi-hyphenate WILLIAM STOUT has had. If you’ve never heard of him, you may have seen his work unwittingly. This California native was kind enough to not only join us for LONG STORY SHORT, but also a full-length video interview for BEYOND THE PROCESS. He leaves no stone unturned and we’re very lucky to have him.
BTP: What’s interesting is this: If it hadn’t been for your fifth-grade schoolteacher bringing the artist side of you to the forefront you might have become a doctor. If that hadn’t happened, what kind of doctor did you think you would have become given your personality? Had you even considered medical illustration at any point?
STOUT: I intended to be a gynecologist; I love women. My mom raised four boys pretty much on her own (my parents divorced when I was fourteen); she was a pretty amazing role model.
As far as medical illustration goes, my fifth-grade teacher had me doing just that for the class after he discovered my artistic tendencies. In actuality, though, medical illustration, for the most part, was too dry for me --- except for the kind of illustration done by an art school teacher of mine, Frank Armitage. He designed all of the interior body sets for Fantastic Voyage. Frank was also my storyboard teacher at art school. Later, when I became a production designer, I got to hire Frank’s daughter to work for me on The Return of the Living Dead.
BTP: Frank Armitage is a legend! Again, your brush with fame cannot be understated. It’s a great lesson, too, that you were able to pay it forward and hire his daughter. Have you ever worked with assistants in your studio or mentored people privately that you felt would be worth the investment?
STOUT: I’ve had brief assists from Dave Stevens and Bill Wray.
In regard to mentoring: A few years ago, a friend approached me at Comic Con.
“Bill, I just came by to thank you for the advice you gave me when I was a kid.”
“What did I say?”
“You very kindly looked through my portfolio and then asked me what I really, really wanted to do as an artist. I replied that more than anything I wanted to work for Jim Henson and draw all of his beloved Jim Henson characters.”
He told me that I looked at him like he was some kind of a schmuck and then asked, “Why on earth would you want to make Jim Henson more famous and more wealthy when you could come up with your own characters, all of whom you would own?”
Well, Tony Diterlizzi took my advice and created The Spiderwick Chronicles, making him millions. Why in the hell didn’t I take my advice?
BTP: I have this question that’s been bugging me for a long time: Who the heck decided the color of dinosaurs? Was it like one artist or a group of scientists and then everyone else followed suit?
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