How did you get into drawing sketch cards?
I started doing doing art for Topps in 2006 on humor sets like Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids stickers. I broke in as a concept artist by dropping off samples for Topps editors at New York Comic-Con that year. I went on to paint final art for Topps, and my first opportunity to draw official sketch cards was in 2009 with a Wacky Postcards set. I got to do my first mass-market pack-inserted cards for Garbage Pail Kids Flashback in early 2010.
What is your favorite subject to draw?
The human (or inhuman) face. I often like to do sort of “macro” sketches that zoom in very close on faces.
What is your favorite character to draw?
I like drawing the Garbage Pail Kids “New Wave DAVE” character, as evidenced by the large number of times I drew him in my GPK Flashback batch. I also had a lot of fun doing some diptych cards with GPK “split personality” characters like “Split KIT” and “Semi-COLIN.” In my most recent sketch cards for Wacky Packages All-New Series 7 (due late August 2010), I loved drawing a handful of the Wacky characters originally rendered in the ’70s by the great pulp illustrator and trading card artist, Norman Saunders.
Do you prefer black & white sketches or color sketches?
I enjoy drawing color sketch cards when the deadline allows. Lately I’ve been doing gray-tone sketches with markers, which actually take about the same amount of time as color ones.
What kind of materials do you prefer to work with?
I use Micron pens for line work on inked sketches and Prismacolor markers for when I do color or gray-tone. Sometimes just pencil is the way to go.
Who is your favorite sketch card artist?
I enjoy Brent Engstrom’s cards, he has a fun cartoon style and he’s very prolific. My hat’s off to legendary underground artist Jay Lynch for producing over 3600 quality sketches for the Wacky Packages Old School set.
What are you currently working on?
I’m trying to finish illustrations for a book aimed at kids, gearing up for some more Topps projects, and hope to find time for some commissions in the near future.
Has your career as an artist benefited from doing sketch card work?
Being part of a popular set like Garbage Pail Kids Flashback brought me great exposure. And drawing a large number of small illustrations, often under tight deadlines, is great practice.
Do you collect trading cards for yourself?
I still have my Star Wars cards from the ’70s (including the infamous naughty C-3P0 card) and I was a collector of Topps’ satirical stickers before I got the opportunity to work on them. I can still look forward to opening a pack with a kid’s enthusiasm, though if the scent of gum doesn’t waft out of it, I’m disappointed. I have a handful of sketch cards mainly from humor artists like Jay Lynch, Tom Bunk, Neil Camera, and David Gross.
Do you have a website / blog / online presence where readers can find more information about you?
My web site is http://www.hipsteria.com/fwheaton, and I’m on Twitter (paste_anyplace) and Facebook (Fred Wheaton).
